User blog:BlownAway2012/Love Wins Peaks for Underwood on Country Charts
Carrie Underwood can officially celebrate two top 10 singles from her album, Cry Pretty, as the disc’s second single, “Love Wins”, slides its way down the charts after reaching a peak of number 10 on the Mediabase 24/7 chart. This week, the single fell to No. 14 on Billboard’s Country Airplay and No. 12 on Mediabase, both of which will be tough spots to recover from next week. Although it certainly would never hurt for Underwood’s record label, UMG Nashville, to do some pushing, there would be little to gain from such a move at this time. Having spent six months on radio, “Love Wins” has probably maxed out its peak audience and a very vocal segment of Underwood’s fan base is eager to move on to single No. 3 from the album. And just what might that next single be? We’ll take a look at the top contenders from the album, below. 1. Drinking Alone “Drinking Alone” has the strongest chance at being released next, with overall strong response numbers on streaming as well as very vocal positive responses from fans, who regularly name the song as one of their favorite tracks. Underwood and team may take such an opportunity to listen to the fan base and release it, where it will probably have the strongest chance at being a number one hit on radio. A great promotion opportunity would come at the ACM awads on April 7, where Underwood may take the chance to debut it live in Vegas. 2. Ghosts on the Stereo Another track with the potential for at least a top 10 hit on country radio is the second track, “Ghosts on the Stereo.” The only reason it may not make the best choice for single 3 is the time of the year as well as the pace of the song; “Ghosts” is a title more suggestive of early fall, sometime in September or October, and the pace of the song is somewhat slow and relaxed. Underwood could benefit from having a more upbeat single, after releasing both “Cry Pretty”, and then “Love Wins”, as the first and second hits. “Ghosts on the Stereo” is also a breakup song, describing a young woman sitting at home having a drink by herself while listening to old country records, with the curtains drawn. It’s a very specific song, so the music video would have to closely match the lyrics. Underwood might need more time to film such a specific video, and premiere it as the final single from the album. 3. Southbound “Southbound” is perfect for the timing, as it sounds like a song that will be playing at lake parties everywhere this summer. However, taking into account fan rections to the song, “Southbound” is not usually listed as one of the favorites from the album for most fans, with “Drinking Alone” or “Backsliding” ranking far higher on the list. Carrie and team may forgo fan opinions on this one, though, and release it anyway, deciding that the general country public audience will like it more than the fan base. However, the music video, again, would have to be very specific, as the lyrics of the song are very particular, describing an “old marina”, “fish ain’t biting”, and “summer dripping over us.” Filming location would have to be important for this one, and the best time to film it would be just before she kicks off the Cry Pretty Tour on May 1st, as she will be entirely too busy after this to film during the summer. Underwood may not feel up to filming a video just yet as she is still getting back into shape after having her second child in January. This does not count “Southbound” out, though; after appearing at the ACMs on April 7, it’s very possible she will feel confident enough to film a summer video for the song. 4. Low “Low” has a slight chance at being released as single 3, but that probability is well, low. There has been a significant positive fan response to the song; many list it as one of their favorites, alongside “Drinking Alone” and “That Song that We Used to Make Love to.” However, because of the ballad pace of the song, as well as the subject matter, “Low” might not be the best decision for the third single. Its success on country radio would be hit-or-miss, much the same as “Cry Pretty” and “Love Wins”, both of which are two of her lowest-charting hits. “Low” is also very feminine in its lyrics and vocal style, and it just hasn’t been a hallmark year for women on country radio stations. Underwood may love the song so much that she does not care about all of these specifics, so “Low” certainly has a shot at being a single, even if it is not the next one. It wouldn’t make a bad final single from the album, and it is not unreasonable to expect Grammy and CMA award-voters to recognize Underwood’s vocal performance on the song. However, award show response has been somewhat unpredictable lately, and nothing is a guarantee. These are the four songs most likely to hit radio airwaves next! Until then, Carrie can now celebrate “Love Wins” marking her 28th top ten hit at country radio! Way to go! Category:Blog posts